


A Visit to Monte D’Or

by Ceyanne_Twilight



Category: Layton Kyouju Series | Professor Layton Series
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:21:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25105372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ceyanne_Twilight/pseuds/Ceyanne_Twilight
Summary: Layton takes Flora to Monte D’Or for the first time. She wonders what sort of friends the Professor had as a teenager, and is glad to be allowed on a trip for once. (The fic request was for interaction between Flora and Randall)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 13





	A Visit to Monte D’Or

**Author's Note:**

> Once again, sorry for atrocious mobile formatting. Use a ruler to read if you need to lol (I need to find a way around this soon)

Flora peered dreamily out the car window, as she usually did when she could actually convince the Professor to take her places. Three days ago she organized a persuasive presentation proving that she was responsible and capable enough to accompany him on his trip to the city of Monte D’Or. It took informative posters on an easel and ten minutes worth of speaking, but soon enough Flora was packing her bags. Of course, by the Professor’s earnest recommendation, she regretfully pruned her luggage down to one suitcase and one duffel bag. Packing lightly may be befitting of a gentleman, Professor, but not a lady. Am I supposed to wear the same outfit in the morning AND the evening?  
She watched the view transition from the metropolis near the airport to rusty desert. Apparently one of the Professor’s secondary school friends built the city, and the rest of their clique lived there as well. He always associated with the most curious people. Flora couldn’t help but imagine what the Professor must have been like as a teenager. Was he already obsessed with being the perfect gentleman, or did he act a tad immature at times like Luke did? Was he in the robotics club like she was now? And what sort of friends did he spend time with? She heard him mention some names over the phone with Emmy, but what were they like? She imagined a bunch of history nerds discussing the Azran over tea. Did they all wear top hats as well? Flora suppressed a giggle at the mental image.  
“This is no Laytonmobile, but it has been keeping up just fine,” Layton said. The rental car was a much more modern model than his beloved little Citroen. With its neutral paint job and contemporary luxury features, the Professor almost seemed out of his element driving it. Flora would never say it out loud, but she preferred this car to his usual rickety ride, although she could admit it had its own brand of charm.  
“So you’re visiting your old friend to share your findings on the Azran?” Flora asked, hoping to get more out of him than the last two times she asked this question.  
“In part. Ever since- well. For the past few years my good friend Randall has had an aversion to the Azran despite his interest in the civilization in our youth. Recently, though, the spark seems to have reignited. I’m bringing over the thesis I published as well as Desmond’s, who turned down the invitation to come here seeing as his relationship with Randall is rocky. (I believe I will force them to reconcile one of these days.) The timing of it all is really quite queer now that neither Desmond nor I want anything to do with Azran research.”  
“Wow. It took you two whole years to get your paper published and you aren’t even interested in the topic anymore?” Flora couldn’t imagine what it must be like to be so spontaneous. If she were to write an entire academic thesis, it would be on a topic she would never get tired of learning more about.  
The Professor said nothing. He just drove on along the dusty road until Monte D’Or was visible in the distance like an island surrounded by all this empty sand. As they pulled closer Flora marveled at the flamboyant hotels and casinos. Up until recently she felt like a tourist in her own city, but this was the real deal.  
Flora sat on a couch in the Reunion Inn lobby while the Professor checked in and arranged for their luggage to be brought up. She could hardly call this an inn. The establishment Beatrice ran was an inn. This place was massive enough to house all the residents of her little village.  
“Now that that’s settled, my dear, let’s head down to the Ledore mansion to say hello. I’ll introduce you to my old friends.”  
Flora nearly fell over because of the way she was trying to absorb every detail of her surroundings. She heard there was supposed to be an absolutely darling parade on this street at night, and she asked if they planned on watching it.  
“Ah, I remember the parade from the last time I visited. They run it once a week, but it feels awfully special when you’re a tourist. Of course we’ll see it,” Layton said.  
He rang the doorbell to the mansion, and a woman with blonde hair done up in curls answered, “Hershel!”  
“It’s good to see you, Angela. Have you three been well?”  
“Yes, of course. And you must be Miss Flora,” she said, extending a hand. Flora shook it. “I’ll call Randall and get Henry to set the kettle for tea. Make yourselves at home.”  
The Professor took a seat on the expansive couch, sorting through the folder he brought along, while Flora examined a curio cabinet set into the wall. Randall must collect these pieces of archeological memorabilia, all sorts of carved pots and ancient coins and whatnot. She remembered talking to Luke’s father about how there was more of this stuff out there than one might think, hence how much of the museum’s collection was archived.  
“HERSHEL!” a man with slicked back red hair and glasses entered with his arms outstretched. The Professor turned his hug into a handshake.  
“I must admit, I missed this Randall,” the Professor said.  
“And which one might that be?”  
“The one that would rather excavate cities than bury them-“  
“Oh bug off, Hersh.” Randall turned to Flora. “You must be the girl from the robot town.”  
“Um. Yes I suppose that is me.”  
“I’d love to visit one day. How do they work? I hear they’re indistinguishable from humans! Are they modeled after the ancient golems?”  
“Leave her be, Randall. So what have you been up to these days? Not farming, I presume.”  
“No, not quite,” he laughed. “That’s just the thing. Angela and Henry have the mayoral duties covered, and I don’t think they would want me to intervene anyways. And I’d make an awful stay at home husband.”  
“He would,” Angela and Henry said in unison. Henry carried a platter with tea to the coffee table and poured five cups.  
“You haven’t done the one thing I asked you to do today,” Henry said.  
Randall stared blankly. “And what might that have been?” He smiled like a child caught in a lie.  
Angela facepalmed. “Do you even enter the kitchen? The sink is piled up with dishes. I hate to grill you in front of guests, but if you won’t help out around the house in the slightest, you better get a full time job.”  
“Yes, about that. I was thinking of curating the Monte D’Or museum. We have an impressive painting gallery, but I think it could do with a more historical exhibit. The city itself is quite new, but the area is rich in Azran history.”  
“Well I think that’s a splendid idea,” Layton said. I do hope my research will be of help to you.”  
Layton left with Angela and Henry to their office where they showed him the building plans for a new designer brand shopping mall. Randall remained on the couch, essays in hand, until his attention span promptly gave out ten seconds later. He looked to Flora, who was inspecting a still life on the wall.  
“You haven’t even touched your tea yet,” He said.  
“Ah. I didn’t realize Henry brought some for me too.”  
“How’s Hersh been as a dad?”  
Flora looked a bit startled. “A dad? Gee, I don’t know if that’s quite right. He’s more like a foster parent, really. I’m not sure how much you heard about his trip to my village, but when he arrived to solve a treasure hunt he wasn’t expecting to bring me home instead.”  
“I did hear about the hunt your father arranged. I’m sorry for your loss, by the way.”  
“It's been sort of a long time, but thank you.”  
Randall’s eyebrows arched since Layton told him the Baron was recently departed. He didn’t pry in fear of touching on a sore subject. “Have you been liking the city life more so than the village?”  
“I’m glad the Professor lives on a relatively quiet street, and I do like secondary school more than reading textbooks on my own. Quite frankly, it’s been hard for me to adjust to social situations, but I like working with my classmates more than studying alone.”  
“And I gather you’ll be going to college not too far from now. Do you know what you’re going to take in uni? Not to alarm you, I’m sure you get asked that a lot these days.”  
“That’s tricky. I was thinking maybe software engineering? Or robotics. Or perhaps criminology as well? I’d like to take some sort of design course if there’s room in my schedule, but at this rate there might not be.”  
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out soon enough. You know, I don’t believe I actually ever finished my compulsory education because I fell into that chasm. No matter, trade skills served me well enough.”  
“You what?”  
“Look, it’s already gotten dark out. We should leave right about now if you want to catch the parade.”  
Flora, Randall, Layton, Angela, and Henry left the mansion and made their way to the crowded sidewalk of the boulevard where many visitors awaited the procession. The sound of brass instruments pealed from the distance, followed by the drumming and jangling of marching band music. Flora clasped her hands and leaned forward, trying to gauge where the start of the parade was.  
Squadrons of dancers and acrobats dressed up as suits of cards waltzed around the pavement, doing flips and spinning batons. The crowd cheered as they quickly assembled into a human pyramid and gracefully collapsed like dominoes. The marching band followed, and Flora had to cover her ears when they were right in front of them. Four floats rode by, driven by characters resembling the jacks, queens, and kings of each suit. They waved and popped confetti at the viewers. Finally, the giant clown balloon glided forward, attached to an equally large float. It looked like a tiered cake, with dancers standing on each level moving in perfect unison.  
“You know, the performers on the clown float are all animatronics,” Randall yelled over the blaring band.  
“For real?” Flora responded. “But they’re moving so naturally! It’s hard to believe they’re not human!”  
“You’re one to doubt it, having grown up with robots. The float is actually an optical illusion in a sense. In reality, dancers on the top are a lot larger than the ones on the bottom, and same with the height of the platforms, but because of our perspective they look the same.”  
“Really?” Flora shouted. “That’s so cool! Can I get a closer look at them another time?”  
“Of course!” Randall yelled back. “I can take you to the garage tomorrow.”  
The eardrum-shattering upbeat music faded, and the crowd began to disperse.  
“Did the parade meet your expectations, my dear? Layton asked.  
“I believe it surpassed them!” Flora responded.  
They parted ways with Randall, Angela, and Henry and headed back to the Reunion Inn for the night.  
“You told me you and Randall used to be best friends, but you drifted apart.”  
“Yes, that is true. Why do you bring that up?”  
“Well I think you should mend that friendship. He seems like a swell guy after all.”  
Layton smiled. “Is that so? In any case, you are correct. I should make an effort to reconnect with him. Maybe I should challenge him to a sparring match like those from our youth. He was awfully quick, but now that he’s rusty I bet I stand a good chance.”  
“Randall fences?”  
“Yes. In fact he’s the one who got me interested in the sport myself. He also sparked my interest in archeology.”  
“Wow. I didn’t realize the impression he made on you was so big.”  
“That’s not all, he also introduced me to the world of puzzles.”  
“RANDALL is the one who got you hooked on puzzles?!” Flora exclaimed. She should be trying to make friends like these in secondary school herself. Even if it’s just through impact on one’s character, friends really had the potential to last forever, huh.

**Author's Note:**

> This one goes out to @101flavoursofweird on tumblr. Thank you for requesting! Honestly I feel like this fic isn’t my best work and probably would have structured it a little differently if I were to rewrite it. If they let everyone out of the Level-5 character dungeon, I hope Flora will get to meet all of Layton’s old friends. Thanks for reading!


End file.
